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AMBER ALERT - RAIN FORECAST FOR SOUTH WEST SCOTLAND

The Met Office has issued an Amber “be prepared” warning for rain for parts of Dumfries & Galloway and South Ayrshire area for later tonight and into tomorrow (Monday) morning.

Travel conditions could be difficult as a result and a lot of surface waters on roads can be expected.

Transport Scotland and our partners, including the local authorities, SEPA and Police Scotland are closely monitoring the situation to make sure that we are well prepared for the conditions as we move into the New Year period.

Head of Network Operations at Transport Scotland, Scott Lees, said:

“The Met Office is telling us that the south west of Scotland in Dumfries & Galloway and South Ayrshire will see 50-60 mm rainfall overnight and into tomorrow with the potential for some disruption to the transport network.

“Although we would expect to see fewer people travelling at this point in the holiday season, we would advise people to prepare for this, drive to conditions and allow extra time for any journeys they are planning to make. We advise to check relevant websites such as Traffic Scotland for up to date travel information.

"Transport Scotland is in regular contact with The Met Office, Police Scotland operating companies and Network Rail as well as the ferry operators and will continue to monitor weather events to ensure the maximum response to any incidents that arise as a result of the expected rainfall.”

"Wet and windy weather with coastal gales is expected to sweep across the country on Sunday night. There is a risk of flooding in areas across Tayside, Central and Southern Scotland during Monday morning.

"In most of these areas, flooding will be restricted to low-lying minor roads, lands and isolated properties. However, the risk is higher in Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway. Here, there is a greater risk of more widespread property flooding.

"SEPA will continue to monitor the situation overnight and will be updating our website, floodline and emergency responders as necessary. We would encourage the public to check the SEPA website (floodline.sepa.org.uk/floodupdates) or call SEPA's Floodline on 0845 988 1188 for the most up to date information on their area."

The Traffic Scotland twitter feed @trafficscotland and website www.trafficscotland.org will have the latest information on travel conditions across the country.

Notes to editors

The Scottish Government’s Ready for Winter campaign, delivered in partnership with the British Red Cross, provides the public with a range of advice and information on preparing for winter weather. Further information is available at www.readyscotland.org

CalMac is advising ferry travellers to check the website: www.calmac.co.uk for the latest information. The passenger service between Gourock and Dunoon operated by CalMac’s sister company, Argyll Ferries, may also be affected. The latest information on that service can be found at www.argyllferries.co.uk.

In light of the Met Office warning, trunk road operating companies have all their resources available, including patrols, and will pre-position resources in areas of special attention.

Rail, ferries and air users should check with individual service operators’ websites.

For more advice and guidance: www.sepa.org.uk/flooding or via Floodline 0845 9881188 At 10am every day SEPA issues to registered media a summary of Flood Warnings & Alerts currently in force. When there are Warnings in force this gets issued more frequently, usually every four hours. If your organisation has not signed up for this free bulletin and you would like it, please request it by emailing flooding@sepa.org.uk